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| Polk D. Norvell of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry made his mark here, probably in the summer of 1863. |
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| The old Farmers' Bank of Fredericksburg at the intersection of Princess Anne and George streets. |
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The
terrific National Park Service's Mysteries & Conundrums blog was my guide for finding the names of two Confederate soldiers scrawled on bricks of the former Farmers' Bank of Fredericksburg (Va.). Used as a headquarters and hospital by the Union army during its occupation. the beautiful, early 19th-century building at the corner of Princess Anne and George streets
was sold early last year.
During my
recent Civil War Power Tour, I stopped to check out for myself the Civil War-era graffiti. It was fairly easy to find amid more recent scrawlings.
Kudos to Eric Mink of the NPS, who dug up details on the lives of the soldiers who left their marks -- Polk D. Norvell, a teenager in the 2nd Virginia Cavalry, and Lewis B. Ellis of the 39th Virginia Cavalry. Ellis wrote his name on the George Street side of the building. Norvell, who left his mark on the Princess Anne Street side, did not survive the war, dying in a Richmond hospital in July 1864.
If you are really into Civil War graffiti, check out
this post on my blog on Graffiti House near the Brandy Station battlefield.
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| Look carefully on a brick below the window on George Street to find ... |
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| ... the name of Lewis B. Ellis, who served in the 39th Virginia Cavalry.. |
